Machine for securing neck-wires to bottles.



Patented May 7, l90l. F. LEU.

(Application filed Oct. 14, 1859.)

4 Sheets-Sheet l.

MACHINE FOR SECURING NECK WIRES T0 BOTTLES.

(No Model.)

No. 673,560. Patented ma 7. l-90l.

: F. LEU. MACHINE FOR SECURING NECK WIRES T0 BOTTLES.

(Application filed 06.. 14, 1899.)

4 Shuts-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

Inventor NORRIS versus ca. PHoro-umc No. 673,560. Patented May 7, I901. F. LEU.

MACHINE FOR SECURING NECK WIRES T0 BOTTLES.

(Application filed Oct. 14, 1899.)

(Nb Model.) 4 Sheets- Sheet a.

. M ED r r m: norms mans cu. PNOTO-LITHG.. WASHINGTON. u, c.

No. 673,560. Patnted May 7, I90l. r. LEU.

MACHlNE FOR SECURING NECK WIRES TC! BOTTLES.

(Application filed Oct. 14, 1899.\ (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Shoat 4.

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UNrrED STATES FREDERICK LEU, OF COLLEGEPOINT, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF PATENT TO ROLAND G. EWER, OF AMITYVILLE, NEW YORK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 673,560, dated May '7, 1901.

Application filed October 14, 1899. Serial No. 733,551. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FREDERICK LEU, a citizen of the United States, residing at Collegepoint, Queens county, Long Island, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Securing Neck-Wires to Bottles, &c., of which the following is a specification, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

The object of this invention is to produce a machine for applying to bottles, jars, and other receptacles the wire which forms a part of the device for holding in place the stopper or cap.

The machine which has been chosen for illustration herein and for explanation of the nature of the invent-ion is arranged to perform all of the operations of applying the previously-prepared wire to the neck of the bottle or jar, twisting together the ends of the wire, and bending over -the projecting twisted ends, the bottle or jar being held by the machine meanwhile. With this machine the operator has only to place the bottles and the wire in the respective holders prepared for them, it being unnecessary to perform any part of the operation by hand or to move the -bottle from one device to another by hand.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a machine such as that just referred to, the several parts of the machine being shown in their initial positions with a bottle in place. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail view on a larger scale, partly in horizontal section, showing the wire-holder and the wire bending and twisting device. Fig. 4: is a vertical central section of the wire-holder. Fig. 5 is an end View of the wire bending and twisting device. Fig. 6 is a section on the plane indicated by the line 6 6 of Fig. 1, but on a larger scale, with the cooperating evener in operative relation with the twisting device. Fig. 7 is a detail view similar to Fig. 3, but showing the twister in operative relation with the device for bending over the twisted ends of the wire. Fig. 8 is a partial view similar to Fig. 1, but showing a modified arrangement of the twisting device. tial plan view of the modification shown in Fig. 9 is a par-- Fig. 8, the sleeve being in its forward position. Fig. 10 is a partial front view of the devices shown in Figs. 8 and 9, and Fig. 11 is a horizontal section of the modified form of the wire bending and twisting device.

In the machine shown in Figs. 1 to 7, inclusive, of the drawings a base A supports a fixed shaft or standard A, to which are secured a cam-plate A for operating the wireholder, a cam-plate A for acting upon the wire bending and twisting device, and a gear A for rotating the twisting device, the camplates and the gear being stationary. A carrier B for the bottle and the wire bending and twisting device is mounted to rotate upon the standard A and may be driven continuously or intermittently by any suitable means. As shown in the drawings, adriving-shaft 0, supported in suitable hearings in the base A and the cam-plate A is provided with a pinion 0 to mesh with a gear 0, which is secured to the carrier B. 1

v A suitable seat for the bottle or jar is provided on the carrier, as at b, and in proximity thereto the wire-holder D is hung upon the carrier, so that it shall revolve With the bottle about the standard A, while its head swings toward or from the bottle, as determined by the cam A against which the lower end of the wire-holder bears. The head of the wire-holder is adapted to receive the previously-formed wire loop, which is to have its ends twisted together around the neck of the bottle or jar and is conveniently formed of two plates 61 and d, which have their opposing faces recessed, as at d to receive the wire. A latch or sliding finger d is arranged upon the top of the head to support the wire, if necessary, and is normally pressed forward by a spring 01 and when the head advances toward the bottle or jar the latch or sliding finger makes contact with the bottle or jar and is pushed back, releasing the wire. It will be understood that when the wire-holder advances the two ends of the wire loop or staple straddle the neck of the bottle or jar, the ends being then engaged by other devices presently to be described.

The wire bending and twisting device or twister is also supported upon the carrier B in proximity to the bottle-seat. As shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, a standard E is erected upon the carrier B and is formed with a suitable bearing e, in which the twister is free to rotate. A sleeve E, secured to the standard, also supports a portion of the twisting device and is formed at its outer end with a notch e to receive the neck of the bottle or jar and afford a bearing or support therefor and is also formedwith an outwardly-flaring mouth, as at 6 to guide the ends of the wire loop or staple into the twister as the wire is presented by the wire-holder D. Within the fixed sleeve E is rotatably mounted a sleeve or twisting-head F, which is provided with a circumferential groovef for engagement with a blade-springf, which may be conveniently secured to the bottle-seat?) and passes through a longitudinal slot in the under side of the sleeve E, whereby the sleeve or twisting-head F is normally pressed forward with a yielding pressure while being free to rotate. Within the sleeve or head F are mounted two oppositely-disposed fingers G G, the forward ends of such fingers being suitably formed to engage the ends of the Wire as it is presented by the holder D and straddles the neck of the bottle or jar, as by being provided with sockets g, into which the ends of the wire pass freely, being guided by the flaring mouth e The forward ends of the fingers are held apart yieldingly by a suitable spring g, and the rear ends of such fingers are suitably formed for engagement with a spreader, so that at the proper time the forward ends of the fingers are brought together, the ends of the wire also being brought together at the same time in readiness to be twisted together by the rotation of the sleeve or head F. In the bearing e of the standard E is mounted a chuck, which by the movement of its several parts first acts upon the fingers G to bend together the ends of the wire, as already described, and then causes the twisting-head to rotate, whereby the ends of the wire are twisted together,it being understood that during such twisting the ends ,of the wire draw out of the sockets in the fingers and force the twisting-head backward against the pressure of the spring f.

The chuck above referred to comprises a sleeve H, which carries a pinion h for engagement with the fixed gear A whereby the sleeve is rotated continuously during the revolution of the twister as a whole about the axis of the gear A and a block H, which is free to move longitudinally within the sleeve H, but is held to rotate therewith, as by a pin-and-slot connection, (indicated at h.) The block is provided at its forward end with a conical or tapering plug or spreader H to act upon the fingers G as the block is moved forward and with clutch teeth or pins 71. for

' engagement with corresponding clutch teeth or pinsf on the rear end of the sleeve F to effect rotation of such sleeve or twistinghead when the block has been moved forward to its full extent. A swiveled block H is connected to the rear end of the block H and carries a roller 72, to bear against the periphery of the cam A which effects the necessary forward movement of the block H. The roller is held against the cam by a spring 71, which is connected to the swiveled block H and to a suitable stem b which rises from the carrier B. v The swiveled block may be further held from rotation by reason of its frictional contact with the continuously-rotating block H by an arm it, which rests upon the cam-plate A It being understood that the twisting-head F retires as the twisting together of the ends of the wire progresses, it will be seen that the twisted ends of the wire will project into the clear space between the bottle-neck and the twisting-head, with which space a deep notch 6 cut through the walls of the sleeve E from the top, then registers. An arm a, secured to the stationary gear A, carries a downwardly-projecting finger or wedge a in the circular path of movement of the notch e and at a point near the end of the revolution of the twister, so that as soon as the twisting-head has moved back, so as to clear the notch 6 the projecting twisted ends of the wire in the continued revolution of the carrier will be brought against the finger or wedge a and will be bent over against the bottle-neck. The sleeve E is also provided with a second notch 8 cut through its walls from the top, which registers with a notch or flattened portion f of the twisting-head F. A curved plate a is also secured to the arm a above referred to in registration with the notch 6 so that as the twister approaches the end of its revolution the edge of the plate a by contact with the flattened portion of the twisting-head will bring such twistinghcad to an exact position of rotation about its own axis, so that the fingers G, which are carried thereby, will be in proper position to receive the next wire.

In the machine thus far described the twist ing-head retires against the pressure of the spring f as the twisting progresses; but it will be obvious that the bottle itself might move away from the twisting-head, while the latter has no longitudinal movement. Such an arrangement is shown in Figs. 8,9, 10, and 11 of the drawings, in which the twistinghead F is shown as held from longitudinal movement, as by a pin f? and slotf' connection. The flaring mouth or guide E is carried by a sleeve E-, which is free to slide longitudinally on the sleeve E which supports the twistinghead and is itself supported by the standard E. A spring a normally presses the guide toward the twisting-head. As the bottle is moved forward by the twisting of the ends of the wire the guide is moved at the same time by the cam-ring a, so as to expose the twisted ends between itself and the twisting-head, and is there held for the action'of the finger or wedge 0, upon the prois held in position by arms a secured to the gear A, to engage a roller 6 on the sleeve E thereby holding it against the tension of the spring e It will be understood that the bottle tilts with the movement of the guide E but is held against such guide by the wireholder D, the cam which actuates such holder being so shaped as to permit the corresponding movement of the holder. is made in two parts, connected together by a spring-hinge joint e so that when the wire is being bent against the bottle-neck by the finger or wedge a the upper part may lift away to permit the wire to be bent against the bottle-neck, but is pressed down and held against the lower part by a roller a carried on an arm a, secured to the gear A ,d uring the time when the wire ends are introduced into the twisting-fingers G. Various other modifications of the details of construction will readily suggest themselves.

In the operation of the machine shown in the drawings, the moving parts being in the relative positions shown in Fig. l, with a bottle in position in its seat orholder and a wire loop or staple in position in the holder D, the continued movement of the carrier B in the direction of the arrow on Fig. 2 first brings the lower end of the wire-holder D to the rise of the cam A which causes the head of the holder to advance against the bottle-neck and the two ends of the wire to straddle the bottle-neck and to enter the sockets g in the ends of the fingers G. The wire-holder is maintained in this position throughout the greater part of its revolution with the carrier B by the long high dwell of the cam A but just before the revolution is completed the drop of the cam permits the wire-holder to swing away into position to receive another wire and to allow the bottle to be removed and replaced by another. As soon as the wire-holder has swung against the bottle-neck the cam A causes the spreader H to advance and separate the rear ends of the fingers G, thereby bending the ends of the wires together, they being held by the forward ends of said fingers. The clutch teeth or pins h then immediately engage the clutch teeth or pins f of the twisting-head F, causing the latter to rotate about its axis and to twist together the ends of the wire. The twisting occupies the greater part of the revolution of the carrier, and as soon as it is completed the finger or wedge d bends over the twisted ends, the twisting-head having retired, as already described, and the plate a engages the flattened portion of the twisting-head to insure its being held in exact position. The cam A meanwhile allows the block H and spreader H to retire, and the twisting-head moves forward again to its initial position in readiness for another operation. The bottle to which the wire has been secured is now replaced by another, and a new wire is placed in the holder, when the operations are repeated, as before.

The operation of the modification shown in The guide E Figs. 8, 9, 10, and 11 is the same as that just described, except that the guide-piece E and bottle move away during the twisting, while the twisting-head has no longitudinal movement, as already explained.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction and arrangement of parts shown and described herein, since many other arrangements can be devised to accomplish the same result and to operate in substantially the same manner which would be within the scope of this invention.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination of a support for a bottle or jar, a twisting-head to engage the ends of a wire straddling the bottle-neck, means for rotating the twisting-head, said bottle and twisting-head being relatively supported to permit separation between the two as the twisting progresses and means to hold bottle and twisting-head toward each other with a yielding pressure,substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination of a support for a bottle or jar, a twisting-head to engage the ends of a wi re straddling the bottleneck, and means for rotating the twisting-head, said twisting-head being supported to move longitudinally during the twisting, substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination of a support for a bottle or jar, a twisting-head to engage the ends of a wire straddling the bottle-neck, means for rotating the twisting-head, and a cam cooperating with the twisting-head and shaped to permit the twisting-head to retire as the twisting progresses, substantially as shown and described.

4. The combination of a support for a bottle or jar, a twisting-head, means for rotating the twisting-head, a wire-holder, and means for advancing the wire-holder to cause the ends of a wire held thereby to straddle a bottle-neck and engage the twisting-head, substantially as shown and described.

5. The combination of a support for a bottle or jar, a twisting-head, means for rotating the twisting-head, a wire-holder, means for advancing the wire-holder to cause the ends of a wire held thereby to straddle the bottleneck and engage the twisting-head,and a latch carried by the wire-holder and caused to release the wire by contact with the bottleneck, substantially as shown and described.

6. The combination of a twisting-head, fingers carried thereby to engage the ends of a wire straddling a bottle-neck, means to cause the fingers to bend the ends of the wire together, and means to rotate the twistinghead while the wires are held by the fingers, substantially as shown and described.

7. The combination of a twisting-head, fingers carried thereby to engage the ends of a wire straddlinga bottle-neck at their forward ends, a spreader to engage the rear ends of said fingers, means to advance said spreader,

and means to rotate said twisting-head, substantially as shown and described.

8. The combination of a twisting-head, fingers pivoted in said twisting-head to engage the ends of a wire straddling a bottleneck at their forward ends, a block having a spreader to engage the rear ends of said fingers and teeth or pins to engage said twisting-head, means to advance said block, and means to rotate said block, substantially as shown and described.

9. The combination of a twisting-head, fin

gers carried thereby to engage the ends of a wire straddling a bottle-neck, a sleeve rotating in a fixed bearing, a block rotating with said sleeve and movable longitudinally there in, said block being formed to engage said fingers and to engage said twisting-head for rotation, and means to advance said block within said sleeve, substantially as shown and described.

10: The combination of a moving carrier adapted to support a bottle or jar, a twister mounted upon said carrier, said twister being adapted to engage the ends of a wire straddling the bottle-necks, and means to rotate said twister as it moves with the bottle, substantially as shown and described.

11. The combination of a moving carrier adapted to support a bottle or jar, a twister mounted upon said carrier, said twister being adapted to engage the ends of a wire straddling the bottle-neck, means to rotate said twister as it moves with the bottle, a wireholder also mounted upon said carrier, and means to cause said wire-holder to advance and hold a wire against the bottle-neck and in engagement with the twister, substantially as shown and described.

12. The combination of a standard,a carrier mounted to revolve upon said standard and adapted to support a bottle or jar, a twister mounted upon said carrier, said twister being adapted to engage the ends of a wire straddling the bottle-neck, means to rotate said twister as it moves with the bottle, a Wireholder also mounted upon said carrier, and a cam fixed upon said standard and cooperating with said wire-holder, substantially as shown and described.

13. The combination ofastandard,a carrier mounted to revolve upon said standard and adapted to support a bottle or jar, a twister mounted upon said carrier, said twister being adapted to engage the ends of a wire straddling the bottle-neck, and a gear fixed upon said standard and engaging a gear carried by said twister, substantially as shown and described.

14C. The combination of astandard,acarrier mounted to revolve upon said standard and adapted to support a bottle or jar, a twister mounted upon said carrier, said twister being adapted to engage the ends of a wire straddling the bottle-neck, means to rotate said twister as it moves with the bottle, said twister having a flattened place, and a guide-plate carried by said standard to engage the flattened place on the twister and retain the twister in exact position, substantially as shown and described.

15. The combination of a standard,a carrier mounted to revolve upon said standard and adapted to support a bottle or jar, a twister mounted upon said carrier, said twister being adapted to engage the ends of the wire straddling the bottle-neck, means to rotate said twister as it moves with the bottle, said bottle and twisting-head being relatively supported to permit separation between the two as the twisting progresses, and a finger or wedge supported by the standard in line with the space between the bottle-neck and the twister to bend-over the projecting twisted ends of the wires as the bottle moves with the carrier, substantially as shown and described.

Thisspecification signed and witnessed this 9th day of October, A. D. 1899.

FREDERICK LEU.

In presence of ANTHONY N. J ESBERA, LoUIs R. Moons. 

